Andrea Felsted, Columnist

Sainsbury’s Asda Defeat Is a Victory for Germany

The U.K.’s competition authorities were wrong to take such a harsh line on Sainsbury-Asda. Grocers need a way to fight back against Aldi and Lidl.

April 25, 2019 at 6:45 AM UTC

By Andrea Felsted

Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering consumer goods and the retail industry. Previously, she was a reporter for the Financial Times.

Sainsbury-Asda Deal May Be Doomed by Antitrust Ruling — Photographer: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg

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The “Sasda” dream is over.

Almost a year since British grocery giant J Sainsbury Plc clinched a clever 7.3 billion pound ($9.4 billion) deal to buy Walmart Inc.’s Asda, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has blocked the transaction. Both companies have agreed to walk away.